A burrowing pests invading your yard is one problem. Trying to tell if you have a mole or vole problem is another matter. While they may seem very similar on the surface, the difference between voles and moles goes a little deeper than you’d expect.
Allow our team at Dewey Pest and Termite Control to show you how to identify and eliminate voles and moles before your yard gets more damaged.
How To Identify Voles
The best place to start is to know how to identify either of these pests. Voles, also known as meadow mice, are small, ground-dwelling rodents that are about five to seven inches long when mature. They have stock bodies covered with chestnut-brown fur and small legs and tails.
If you have voles in your yard, you likely have them due to an abundance of food present in your lawn. Their diet consists of plants and vegetables, which include grass and weeds.
How To Identify Moles
Often confused with their rodent counterparts, moles are small, burrowing mammals that live in underground tunnels. Their eyes are poorly developed, but they make up for this with their enhanced sense of touch. These pests are often about the same size as voles but often have dark, dense fur that stands straight up.
Unlike voles, the mainstay of a mole’s diet is insects. Some species, such as the star-nosed mole, are relatively good swimmers and can also feed on fish.
Vole vs. Mole Damage
Even though both pests are a risk to your lawn, the yard damage from voles and moles is very different from one another. Voles create narrow runways visible from the surface. These golf-ball-sized runways enable these pests to damage the bark of trees and shrubs. The paths begin to form when voles come out of hibernation in the spring, so be on the lookout then.
Mole tunnel systems are deeper in the ground and are accessible through volcano-like mounds. These tunnels disrupt your lawn’s soil and the root systems of your grass. Although they don’t feed on plants like voles do, don’t rule out the chance of mole tunnels also damaging your plant life.
Signs of a Vole Infestation
The key indicator of a vole infestation is the presence of surface-level runways. In addition to these paths of destruction, other signs of a vole infestation include plant damage, damaged flower bulbs, and gnawed bark and roots. Pay extra attention around low-hanging plants and vegetables. These plants are more prone to vole-related damage than others.
Signs of a Mole Infestation
Compared to vole problems, detecting a mole infestation depends on finding their entry mound. Molehills are conical, volcano-shaped mounds of soil with a hole visible from the hill’s top. Other signs of a mole infestation include raised tunnels beneath the surface of your lawn, discolored grass from damaged root systems, loosened soil from the tunnels, and weakened vegetation.
What Are Some Effective Mole and Vole Removal Methods?
From knowing how to remove voles or how to get rid of moles naturally, kicking these pests off your yard requires a little elbow grease to get the job done. Similar to gopher removal, there are several practical methods you can use to make your yard less appealing to both kinds of burrowing pests. Here are some vole and mole control tips to help you keep your yard pest-free:
- Set up trapping
- Use natural repellents, like castor oil
- Frequently mow your lawn
- Clean up leaf piles
- Eliminate wet areas
- Flatten their tunnels
- Get rid of their food source
- Protect your plant life
- Encourage natural predators
Does Professional Pest Control for Lawns Help Keep Voles and Moles Away?
Although these homemade methods and fixes can help in short bursts, they are not a be-all-end-all solution you can rely on to get the job done. For the best results in vole and mole removal, turn to the pros with pest control services.
The best team of pest control technicians, such as Dewey Pest and Termite Control, will inspect your yard and lawn for any signs of a burrowing pest problem. Once the issue has been identified, your pest control technician will develop the right treatment plan to help achieve long-term results in vole and mole removal and prevention.
Get Vole and Mole Control With Dewey Pest and Termite Control Today
Wheher you have voles or moles, turn to Dewey Pest and Termite Control when you need to get rid of pests from your yard. Count on our premier residential pest control to keep voles, moles, and other pests from your property. With over 95 years of experience under our belt, our technicians know a thing or two about removing these burrowing pests.
To request our California pest control services, contact our team or find your nearest Dewey Pest and Termite Control branch online today!
